Aftermath

After several months of being back home, I have felt the need to write, up-date, and process.  Since I have been home, life has seemed like a whirl-wind and now this year is coming to a close and another will begin.  Though I am beyond grateful for this season of not being in school, and not working it has certainly taken time for me to adjust.  I felt like a fish out of water for quite some time.  School provided a comfort and routine that I thoroughly enjoyed, but beyond that I think that it was a distraction from my lack of comfort with life in America.  I do not mean physical comfort- I live an extraordinarily comfortable life here, but that is what makes my soul uncomfortable.  I have tried very hard to put into words what I'm feeling and this is the best thing I can come up with.  Life here is all about me; what job am I going to find, will I pursue more education, will I get a new car, will I take a trip, even how will I serve.  Conversely, while I was in Uganda, I experienced the joy of self-forgetfulness (I think I just made up that word).  How refreshing to not think about myself! I miss that. I miss getting so caught up in the Lord and what He is doing that I completely forget about myself.  And though I very well know that I can do that here, I have yet to figure out what that looks like here.  Everything about life in America makes me look at myself.  All of that to say, I pray the Lord will allow me to forget about myself and get completely caught up in Him.  At the same time, I am so grateful that the Lord has brought me to this season of life.  I am learning so much, particularly about His faithfulness.  How awesome to be confident in the Lord's faithfulness! Furthermore, how awesome to know that He has a perfect, sovereign plan and that He allows me to take part in it.  Wow- how humbling, and what a tremendously awesome responsibility.

Another reason I am extremely grateful for this unique season of life is that I have had time to really enjoy things that I used to allow myself to be too busy to enjoy.  For instance, this past fall was the most beautiful I ever remember- the leaves were the most gorgeous golden yellows and vibrant reds. I couldn't help being overwhelmed by the beauty of the Lord's creation.  Now, as the Christmas season is in full swing, I am particularly thankful to have so much time because it has allowed me lots of time to reflect on Jesus' coming to Earth.  My goodness, how He loves us!

I've also been thinking about Mary; in Luke 1:26-38, Jesus' birth is foretold to Mary by the angel Gabriel.  When Gabriel finishes Mary replies "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." What an extraordinary response!!! She asks only one question, then humbly states that she is the Lord's servant, may His will come to pass. I love it! What a wonderful example of how we should respond.

Also, I am grateful for a potential opportunity to return to Uganda.  If I could ask for prayer in this situation, I would be so grateful- I am in need of discernment and whatever the Lord's will is, that it will come to pass.

Thank you so much for reading my rambling :) I love you and appreciate you so very much!  I pray the Lord sweeps you off your feet with His love.  Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Until We Meet Again

I left Gulu a few days ago and only have a few more days left in Uganda.  To say the least my heart is torn in two. One part of me is overwhelmed with excitement to get home, see my family, hold my niece and catch up with all of my dear friends.  The other part of me does not want to leave because I have completely fallen in love with Gulu, with the people and particularly with the body of believers I have had the tremendous opportunity to serve. Particularly the Trauma Team: Florence, Chris, Joel, Francis Oyat, Christine, Jaspher, Carol, Joan, Nick, Francis Oloya, and David. Every single one of these people welcomed me as a family member and the more time we spent together the deeper our love for one another grew.  It is truly incredible that half way across the world, in a culture drastically different from my own, among people who are unlike any other people I have met before I have found family.  This instantaneous, intimate bond can only be attributed to the fact that we are all God’s children; I feel so blessed to have experienced what that brotherly and sisterly love is meant to be like.  To my new brothers and sisters- I love you dearly and I miss you so much already that my heart aches.  My prayer is that I get to see again soon, but, as my dear friend Paige said, if not this side of heaven I’m thankful we can be sure to see each other on the other side. So, I will not say goodbye but rather until we meet again my beloved brothers and sisters, may you continue to do the Lord’s work with passion that consumes every fiber of your being, may God bless you all and may He give you the desires of your hearts.  I will pray for you always and I am deeply thankful for the fellowship we have had the past few months. I love you.

Vulnerability, Trusting, Blessings

The past week has certainly been an adventure, a time of trusting, a time of praying, a time of excitement and anticipation, and a time of realizing that this summer and my time in Uganda is coming to a close. 

This week I started in Rockoko and I loved being there. The people were so eager to be rehabilitated and eager for the gospel. There were approximately 400 people who completed the Empower rehabilitation program and I don’t have an exact figure but many of the people also accepted Christ! Praise God! On the day of their graduation from the program there was a mission trip team from the U.S. that was visiting so all of the participants put together various skits and dances to perform for the visitors. The Acholi people are truly beautiful, creative, and inspiring; I have been so blessed to learn from them and to live alongside them these past few months. Their growing fervor to glorify the Lord and make His name known to all people is incredible. How great is our God that He has brought healing to these beautiful people who have been viciously tormented for decades and that as a result they will make His name famous. All I can think of is the Chris Tomlin song “God of this City” with the lyrics that say “Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city”- God is moving in Gulu, people’s hearts are turning to Him, and He has so much planned for this city.

A small side note compared to the greatness of God working in the camp, I got sick while I was there. I’m fairly certain it was malaria, I didn’t actually get tested (I really don’t like getting blood drawn ;) ) but based on the number of times I’ve been bitten by mosquitoes (approximately 500 times), fever, achiness, chills, headache, fatigue and cyclical nature of the symptoms, malaria is the most likely. But God is healing me J I feel wonderful now, thank the Lord.   

Furthermore… my niece was born on Wednesday!!! I was still in the camp anxiously awaiting the news but when the news came it also came with news of struggle during delivery. Hearing this news while being so far away from home was extremely difficult, but just as in every trial God is teaching me something. The Lord has been revealing to me more and more that I must learn how to be vulnerable in the Christian community so that I may share my burden with others; I am surrounded by people who want to ‘do life’ with me so why in the world do I try and carry burdens alone. This past week has been one of those times when I tried to carry everything alone; I didn’t want to tell anyone I was sick because I didn’t want to impose on anyone and I didn’t want to share with anyone how scared I was for my sister and my niece or how badly I wished I was home to be with my family during this time. But as I said the Lord is teaching me how to be more open with those around me. God has provided me with community among these lovely ladies and the trauma team for a reason; fellowship with other believers is important for a reason. So all of that to say that I am trying to be more open and vulnerable so that I don’t isolate myself from people who are so loving, encouraging, and, most importantly, filled with the Lord.

Despite the difficulties though Alli and the baby are doing well now, all glory to God! As of the early hours of Friday morning I still didn’t know my niece’s name. When Alli and Chad were ready to announce her name my mom called me in the middle of the night here and said “quick, call your sister!” Somewhat in a panic I called Allison, she quickly put my mind at east that nothing was wrong but that she wanted to tell me the name of her newest angel. The phone reception here is awful but I heard Alli say that her name is Lucy Breanne. I immediately burst into tears- I have never felt so honored in all my life. To my beloved sister- our hearts have always had a special bond and you are my best friend. I am truly speechless when it comes to expressing my gratitude for you sharing my name with your precious daughter. What a gift! I cannot wait to get home and hold her J and I cannot wait to hug you, my dear sister.

So, it has been an eventful week filled with wonderful times of growing, trusting, and being showered with blessings.

Trust

A few weeks ago I was attending the Watoto staff devotion and the pastor’s wife, Jackie, was teaching us.  Jackie is truly an extraordinary woman. She is spunky and charismatic, she fiercely loves her children and husband, she is extraordinarily beautiful and has the voice of an angel.  I am so thankful I had the opportunity to meet her and learn from her.

Jackie shared Jeremiah 17:5-8 “This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Through this passage God has been teaching me that I am called to not only trust him with my own life and family but I am called to trust him in all things including trusting him to take care of all of his children.  As I have walked around the streets of Gulu and heard one heart wrenching story after another I felt my heart becoming heavier and more burdened.  Though it is okay to feel empathy and a longing to be Christ’s hands and feet to the broken world it is not okay for me to become overwhelmed with despair and a sense of hopelessness because that means that I am not trusting God to take care of his children. As verse 8 says the one who has full confidence in the Lord receives constant nourishment and reassurance from the Lord and therefore is able to overflow and bear fruit (serving the broken).  After hearing this lesson and being convicted I have found that living with this new perspective allows for the joy of the Lord to flow more freely. Furthermore, there is such an extraordinary sense of freedom in trusting God to take care of His children; all of His children.

Camping- African Style

I cannot believe that in a little more than two weeks I will be on my way home. As my Grandma says “time flies whether you’re having any fun or not” although I have had more fun than I ever anticipated and have loved my time here and am sad that it’s already coming to an end.

BUT, it’s not over yet J And before it is, I have the tremendous opportunity to go stay in one of the former IDP camps with the Trauma team. I will leave on Monday the 18th and return on Thursday the 21st. The area is called Rockoko (pronounced roch-coco) which means “worst crying.” This area was given this name because it is known for being destitute and miserable. I was told that when people told others they were travelling to Rockoko the people would say “go at your own risk, your crying will grow worse there.”

Other than the story of its name, I know very little about this area. I am so excited to live among the people, learn more about them and from them, and experience God moving, healing, and transforming lives.

I would like to ask for prayer during this time; I feel like God has been preparing me for such a time as this- I don’t know what He has in store but want to be willing, whatever it may be J May He be glorified, may His love overflow. I’m praying with excitement and expectation!

Thank you for praying with me, I expect to have wonderful things to share with you when I get back.

Personal Transformation

July 7, 2011

God has also been transforming me; as I wrote earlier, I have been learning so much about myself, my habit of living in fear, and how Christ has freed me from that but also I have been learning about the power and authority we have because we are his.  Though these are things that I have heard week after week growing up in the church I never claimed them. I certainly believed that God performed miracles through other people but never acknowledged that because I am His I have that same power and authority. I have always defined myself as a timid, unassertive individual who just does as she is told. What a horrible attitude for a daughter of the one true God. He has called me to be so much more, to own the fact that I am a daughter of the King. I say that with absolutely no arrogance or pride because it is all His doing, not mine, but because He has chosen me I should claim the identity He has given me. Cristianna shared these passages with me and prompted the question ‘what would life look like if we claimed this identity and these truths?’ 1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  Deuteronomy 7:6-9 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” 2 Peter 1:3-9 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is near sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”   The importance in claiming this identity is that then God receives all the glory for who I am. Others will know Him because I live out the identity he has given me. I’m so thankful that God is revealing these truths to me and that He has surrounded me by people who help to teach me His truths. Now may he continue to work in me and the other believers so that we may glorify him in everything we are.

July 6, 2011

So I will do my best to fill in the missing details from the past week or so. My computer screen broke a few weeks ago but last Thursday we had a volunteers’ meeting in Kampala so I was able to get it fixed when we were there- so thankful to be able to communicate with you all J

In Gulu the past few weeks there have been terrible thunder and lightning storms- I don’t think I have ever experienced such storms before. During one of the storms the lightning struck near a school and killed 16 children and 1 teacher. During another storm a woman was killed right next to Watoto Church. We have all been praying that God would comfort the families who have lost their loved ones.  While we were at small group last night we heard that one of the worship team member’s mom was murdered the previous day and a young man was murdered nearby.  Sudden, unexpected death is a far-too-often occurrence here and it shocks me every time I hear of deaths including those resulting from the lightning, babies dying, people getting sick and dying or nearly dying, even people I have met discussing how they have witnessed people dying. It’s difficult to say the least. Ultimately I have become increasingly aware of how desperately people need the tools and resources to cope with experiencing traumatic events so frequently. Just yesterday a woman at Living Hope talked about how she was on a bus traveling to Sudan and someone shot the woman sitting next to her and she died. For some reason none of the passengers were allowed to get off the bus for an entire week; this woman not only witnessed someone’s death but then had to sit next to the decomposing body for a week. If that’s not traumatic I don’t know what is. Something that is interesting though is that this woman started sharing her story wondering if her experience qualified as a ‘traumatic event’. I am in awe of how God is using the Trauma team to educate people about their experiences, helping them understand that there are enduring effects to these experiences if they are not addressed, then providing them the resources to address the experiences and work through them. I feel so blessed to simply witness God transforming lives.

Gratitude in the midst of Heartache

June 21, 2011

This week there is a medical team visiting the Living Hope facility to provide care for the women and today I saw women whose conditions broke my heart. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to hear their personal stories but hopefully they will be healed soon. The first woman I saw had deep scars on either side of her mouth going down her chin and then she had a massive growth the size of a cantaloupe protruding out of her chin. I do not know if she was having reconstructive surgery that resulted in her current condition or what exactly had happened but when I saw her I felt a deep ache inside my heart; I cannot imagine what caused her to be in such a state. The second woman I saw had a wig on which she had pulled down so far over her forehead I could barely see her eyes. But as the bangs in the wig split apart I saw a massive scar that spanned her entire forehead.  Finally, the third woman I saw had no lips and the end of her nose was missing.  Her condition is most likely the result of the LRA which would mutilate women in such a way just to be spiteful and I wonder if the other women’s conditions also resulted from such violent, malicious acts.  Though I know we are not to be vain, but I cannot imagine having my face cut apart to the point that people shutter at me when I walk by. My heart aches for these women; but at the same time praise the Lord that their condition is not only being acknowledged but work is being done to restore their dignity by repairing the damage that has been done to them physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as well as providing employment for them in the interim or long term. God is good and I am thankful for His redemption.

Another recent event involved the other volunteers here, Christiana and Paige. Christiana works at the babies’ home and Paige splits her time between working with the social workers of Watoto and the babies’ home. The Watoto social workers work partly in the community identifying and confirming children who can be brought into Watoto and also work within the Watoto villages to ensure the children and mothers are living well together.  Yesterday morning Paige was called by one of the social workers to go pick up a baby from the hospital that had just been born but they needed to hurry because babies keep dying in the hospitals before the social workers can get to them (this has also broken my heart, may all those babies be in God’s loving hands now). They did reach this baby in time, praise the Lord! They were informed that the mother had some sort of mental illness and kept changing her mind whether she wanted the baby or wanted nothing to do with her. If you would please pray that God would give the mother peace in not having her child as the hospital deemed she could not care for the baby, and also that God would protect this baby girl from any sort of the mental illness her mother suffered from. And also praise Him for rescuing her!

Also, I just wanted to thank the Lord for bringing Christiana and Paige here during the same time that I am here; they have already taught me so much and have provided loving support as we all encounter these difficult situations. The Lord is so faithful in providing for our every need including connections with others and I am deeply grateful.

Learning

June 20, 2011

Just to provide a little bit more background I want to explain more about Watoto and where the Trauma team is currently housed.  The ministries run under Watoto Church include Watoto Childcare Ministries (where the orphans are given a mother, a family, a home, an education, and healthcare in a Watoto Village), Baby Watoto (babies are taken in and kept until they are 2 years old then they graduate to the villages), and Living Hope (a ministry that offers the most vulnerable and marginalized women in Uganda an opportunity to make an income- restoring dignity in spite of suffering from HIV, mutilations, rape or other devastating diseases or experiences). There may be more ministries but these are the ones I am aware of and currently the Trauma team works from the Living Hope facility in Gulu. As a result of being at this facility I have had the tremendous opportunity to interact with some of these women just a little bit.

Every morning we have devotions together, again they are often in Acholi but people here have been so gracious about translating for me. The women begin by singing praises, and I honestly don’t know if I have heard a more beautiful sound than all of their voices together in their gorgeous language. Then one of the staff members from Living Hope or the Trauma team shares devotions and the time is closed with prayer.  Last week I was asked to lead the devotion- all I could think was “what in the world would I have to share with these women who have experienced so much- I have lived an extraordinarily blessed life free of many of the concerns they must encounter daily” But I said I would do it in spite of myself and the Lord has been teaching me so much so I thought I would simply share what I have been learning. This is the outline of what I wanted to share with the ladies but funny as it is as I was printing this out the morning I was to share the power went out so I had to wing it without notes J

Good morning ladies- my name is Kelsie and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to come and share with you this morning. This past week the Lord has been teaching me and correcting my lifestyle and a habit I have.

Let me begin by telling you something about myself; I often lived in fear though the Lord has just recently helped me to label exactly what has been crippling me. From the tiniest, meaningless things such as bugs and whether or not people approve of me to significant matters such as fearing that I will make mistakes that will cause me to not follow God’s plan for my life. I have lived most of my life in constant fear.

This is an extremely exhausting way to live- before I put on my shoes I shake them, pound them against something to make sure there are not any bugs inside that will bite me when I put my foot in. I look at least 10 times before crossing the street hoping to not get hit. Also, before I make any decisions I agonize about them, wondering what the right choice is, fearing that I will make the wrong decision.  Not only is this an exhausting way to live, but by choosing to live in fear I have robbed myself of claiming the freedom I have because I belong to Christ. Also, I have robbed myself of living with the Holy Spirit as my guide by trying to plan for all situations, fearing all situations.

This past week, a friend lovingly brought to my attention how living in such fear is the same as being in prison- I have no freedom by living that way. Furthermore, I was being sinful by constantly being afraid.

So now I would like to share with you the scripture that has been helping me to reform my habit of being fearful.

First and foremost, when we surrender our lives to Christ and choose to become one of his followers he blesses us with the Holy Spirit- for me this is such a tremendous comfort because I am not alone, ever.

                In John 14:25-27 Jesus is preparing his disciples for his crucifixion, resurrection, and the time that would follow. Jesus said to them “All this I have spoke while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

And so by Christ sending the Holy Spirit to be with us we should not only be motivated to live according to God’s purpose and according to his will but also we experience the comfort and peace that can only come from the Lord as we encounter circumstances that cause anxiety and fear. Also, Christ commands for us to not be afraid because he has given us the resources to live without fear. 

Furthermore, when examining the characteristics of the Holy Spirit I found 2 Timothy 1:7 which says “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Therefore, because we have the Holy Spirit we have power, boldness, and courageousness to face anything that may come into our paths. How wonderful that God has blessed us with the Spirit, and by the Lord teaching me to not live in fear I have realized that I have not been allowing the Spirit to lead as I should- but now I know that when I am afraid, the Spirit gives me courage, when I feel timid and shy, the Spirit provides me with boldness, when I feel like I cannot endure, the Spirit helps me to persevere.

At times though I need reassurance of these promises so that I will not return to living in such fear and when such times arise I plan on finding comfort in these verses:

                Romans 8:28, 31, 35, 37-39 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels, nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I love verse 37 We are more than conquerors of all these things through Christ- wow! What a tremendous encouragement that whatever comes our way, Christ has made us conquerors.

The Lord is teaching me to reform my habit of living in fear and I want to encourage you to remember that because we belong to Christ we have been given the Holy Spirit who comforts us and gives us peace. The Spirit is bold and courageous when we are not. And remember also that you are a child of the God of the whole universe and therefore absolutely nothing can separate us from his love; though we may encounter terrifying circumstances, we can face them without fear because we know that the Lord’s love will endure through all things.

Thank you again for allowing me to share with you what the Lord is teaching me. I pray God blesses each and every one of you and reminds you of his promises and blessings. 

I am unworthy to have had the opportunity to share with these women, but I am thankful that the Spirit spoke through me.  I am also thankful for the Lord’s leading and revealing to me this habit I have but also that he forgives me and provides me with the resources to change this lifestyle. I would like to ask for prayer that the Lord continues to strengthen me in not being afraid.

Also, the Trauma team has been encountering an astounding number of cases of epilepsy in the IDP camps; if we could pray for healing for these people. I do not know if their condition is physical or spiritual but by the amount of people being affected there is something strange occurring. Also please pray for the team as they encounter people with such horrific conditions; their hearts break for all they encounter. May the Lord strengthen them and carry the burden for them.

How many cows are you worth? ;)

I have so much to share but have only a little bit of time so I will only share a funny little story for now.

When we first went to the IDP Camp in Oyam the trauma team introduced me as being from a village on the other side of a river but that I grew up in America. They said they usually do this with white visitors as a joke and to release the tension of having a foreigner being part of the sessions. But some of these villagers thought the team was serious and later went to the 'mayor' because they wanted my contact information to find out if I was their sister... oh boy! So when we met with the 'mayor' later on he took the whole issue very seriously and really believed I was from the area. He said that my potential brothers had come looking for my contact information with the hopes of confirming that I was their sister so that they may collect the dowry I would be worth.  The team thought this was hilarious and asked how many cows my dowry would be and apparently I am worth 12 cows... not too shabby ;) Hahaha, we all had a good laugh over it :) But don't worry Mom and Dad, we didn't give them my contact information and one of the team members, Joel, is responsible for handling any of my 'brothers' :)

Mobilization and a Wedding

It's about a week late due to internet/power issues

June 11, 2011

Yesterday I left the house and started walking towards the office… but I haven’t learned my way around Gulu yet and was apparently going the wrong way (ha!) I was blissfully unaware but, thankfully Carl and Chris, one of the trauma team members, were driving by and graciously picked me up J  So we first looked at a property that may serve as the Trauma Team’s new office. It seemed so nice, with plenty of room to meet the team’s needs. Then we went to the office and waited while the team prepared to mobilize a village they are preparing to bring the empower program to.

When we arrived at the village we first met with the LC, the ‘mayor’ of the village per say. One of the trauma team members, Florence, explained to me that the team meets with the LC first to explain what the program is and to ensure that they are welcome to bring the program to the people. Florence also said that because most of the villagers do not receive any sort of aid, whether it is spiritual, emotional or physical, the LCs are usually very welcoming to the team and anything they have to offer. And this was true of Oyam as well.

After meeting with the LC a crowd of at least 60 people had gathered to hear what the program was about. Each of the team members introduced themselves and then started building relationships with the people in the village by engaging them in a story that served as an introduction of the empower program. Though all of this took place in the Acholi language, I was in awe of how quickly these strangers were starting to build relationships with one another.  This is something about the program that I love; the team goes with the goal of building loving relationships with the villagers, confident that God’s healing will follow.  Furthermore, each team member is passionate about his and her work- they long to bring the Lord’s healing to people who have been broken for far too long. And even further still, they have all been so kind to me, explaining everything that they do, translating for me, and being tremendously welcoming.

Today I was invited to attend the wedding of one of the team members. How blessed I am to be welcomed in such a way. As the bride entered the church the women started doing their African cheer- soooooooo cool J  The bride and groom were so joyful and the pastors were honored by the marriage taking place. May God bless their marriage and may their marriage reflect Christ’s love for the church. Everything about today was beautiful, lovely, and joyful.

~Gulu~

Yesterday was a such a blessed day; I learned so much, experienced so much, I cannot believe God has blessed me so much to be in this place- who am I that he would give me such a privilege.

So for now I will share the history I learned today. The people of Northern Uganda have experienced turmoil for a long time and in fact the situation that the Ugandan military created allowed for Joseph Kony to rise up with many people’s support.  Today I was told the story of a man whose entire family was killed by the Ugandan military and also that stories like his were not uncommon. The atrocities attributed to the LRA including rape, pillaging, murder, and the capturing of people were being committed by the military before Joseph Kony established the LRA. In fact the LRA was established in response to the military’s abuse of the Northern Ugandans.  Therefore the people found themselves in a difficult place; they could not rely on their military or government for protection and the rebels that claimed to fight for them were now committing the same crimes they were initially fighting against.

Furthermore, due to the lay of the land, how the villages are spread so far apart and the surrounding area is overgrown with tall grasses the LRA was able to massacre the people and the Ugandan government was not able to provide any protection for them but realized that they needed to make an attempt despite their past actions.  Therefore, the government established the Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) Camps and forced the villagers into such camps saying that if they were not in the camps the military would assume they were with the rebels and they would be killed.  Though the establishment of these camps was supposed to provide protection the camps were often the target of the LRA and the people were still not safe.  The people of Northern Uganda have lived in such terror for nearly 20 years.

Now that Joseph Kony has moved to the Congo, and the conflict has resolved the government has withdrawn its support to the IDP Camps.  Some of the people have returned to their villages while others have remained in the camps.  However, because the government does not recognize that there are still displaced people these individuals do not receive any aid from the government. When I asked what the source of income is for these people I was told that they literally live off the land and if they are able to sell anything they harvest they use that money to buy clothes, or other necessities.

So now that I have provided some history I will explain how Watoto is being the hands and feet of Christ to the people of Northern Uganda.  A few years ago the Trauma Rehabilitation department was established and they have a few phases in which they work. They go into the IDP Camps and build relationships with the people by living in the huts for 2 week periods.  While these relationships are being built the team offers trauma counseling through a program called Empower. Sometime after this counseling takes place the team returns to do follow-up sessions to review everything the participants have learned. Sometime after that the team returns for 2 more weeks to offer a discipleship program in which the gospel is presented.

I was blessed to drive to one of the IDP camps where the team was starting discipleship. It is amazing to me the lengths the team goes to in order to reach these people; it is a 2 and a half hour grueling car ride on roads with the biggest pot holes I have ever seen. Once the team is there they sleep in the very same huts that people they are serving sleep in. I was truly in awe of such servanthood. The people in the camp were so kind and welcoming despite the language barrier (we had a translator J; as the team introduced me, the women stood and started singing a song to welcome me. My name was difficult for them to say so they asked if they could call me Ketchie- how wonderful that they want to give me a name. 

One of my favorite parts of the day was listening to people give their testimonies about how the Empower program changed their lives.  One woman described how she was so overcome with anger that she could hardly care for her children, her friends or herself, but since she attended the program she has forgiven so much and is now able to be a better mother, friend, and person.  Another woman said that the Empower program encouraged her to care for the orphans in her community and how she used to worry constantly but now she does not worry and provides care for these orphans.  A man told his story as well, saying that due to the turmoil caused by the conflict he became an alcoholic, not caring for his family and just falling deeper into the addiction. But the Empower program helped him to make serious change in his life and now he is living up to his responsibilities.

How powerful these testimonies were; just a few weeks and God has changed lives and now they will have the opportunity to learn more about him, how to obey him, and live a life that is glorifying to him. Wow- praise God!!!

I am so thankful that God has blessed me and allowed me to witness such triumphs after tragedy.

Though I still do not know what lies ahead, how I will be used with the trauma team or any of the specific details I am deeply grateful for this opportunity.  Thank you all for contributing to getting me here and for your prayers along the way. Thank you Jesus for being Lord. All glory to you!

Uganda... finally!

Praise the Lord, I'm finally here! After a year and a half of applying, waiting, and preparing I am so thrilled to be here :)
I arrived on Tuesday morning and was greeted by my dear friend Dorcas who my family met while she was touring with the Watoto Children's Choir. We travelled from the airport, which is in Entebbe to the capitol, Kampala. We ran a few errands, exchanged money and things of that nature and then I was dropped off at the volunteers' house where I met several other volunteers.  They were so kind and helped me get settled, took me grocery shopping, and are being helpful in so many ways. Overall it was a lovely first day in Uganda.

Wednesday, I went to the church where I attended the Watoto staff devotions where the devotion leader discussed how important it is to be intentional about our thoughts making sure that every thought is taken captive and made obedient to Christ... how important for me to hear that my focus must always been on Christ throughout this experience; no matter the circumstances, the darkness, or anything else, Christ is the reason I am here and he is the one I serve. After devotions I had a volunteer orientation with the volunteer coordinator and then had a meeting with Carl, the director of the psychosocial department of Watoto. He and I will leave for Gulu on Monday where he will give me more details of what my responsibilities will be.

Yesterday I had the tremendous opportunity to go with Dorcas to one of the Watoto villages that is about an hour away from Kampala where she was facilitating a group counseling session with the mothers of Watoto. Their goal is to provide the mothers with counseling for the traumatic experiences they have endured so that they will be the best mothers they can be to the children.  After working with the mothers, they will begin to counsel the children. The psychosocial department has recently just started working in the villages in Kampala because their main focus has been in Gulu since the department was established to help the child soldiers. But, all of the orphaned children and their house mothers have experienced traumas and are also in need of healing. After the group session I was blessed to go visit some of the mothers' homes; what extraordinarily beautiful, strong, compassionate women. We then transported one of the mothers to the hospital because she has been very sick for 2 weeks and not responding to treatment at the Watoto clinic- please keep her in your prayers, I do not know her name but she was very sick.

Today was a Ugandan holiday so I had the day to myself so I visited the babies' home here in Kampala and spent some time with the beautiful children. What extraordinary little miracles they all are.
Thank you all for your love and prayers. I miss you already but am so extraordinarily blessed to be here.
With love,
Kelsie

God's love

The actual journey to Uganda has begun! I landed in London just a little while ago and am waiting for the flight to Uganda :)
Right now I am in complete awe of God's love for us and the ways he comforts us. As I was waiting to leave Denver I kept thinking how it would be comforting to be traveling with someone just to have someone to chat with on the long flight and to navigate through the unfamiliar territories. So as I boarded the plane and was getting ready to sit down the flight attendant asked if I would be willing to trade seats with a gentleman so he could sit next to his wife. I agreed and changed seats and sat down next to a very nice lady. We started chatting and realized we were both heading to Uganda! And we had the exact same travel itinerary getting to Uganda and coming back to Denver... wow! How great is His love for me that he would plan such an awesome thing. So, I am thankful and feeling His love in tremendous ways!
Hopefully I will write again soon!
With love,
Kelsie

Blessed

My beloved friends and family- so sorry for the delay in posting again, clearly I let school occupy too much of my time.  BUT in about 5 weeks I will be done, thank you Lord!

The past few months I have experienced the overwhelming outpouring of God's blessings in ways I can hardly describe.  First of all, the fundraising for Uganda was truly miraculous; God undoubtedly moved in people's hearts and they have been incredibly generous to the point that the trip has been completely paid for!!! Through this whole process I have felt indescribably blessed that people are willing to support God's calling for my life, and also that God's hand has been in every single detail.  A few weeks ago I purchased my plane tickets so now the official dates are set- May 29th through August 2nd- I'm so excited I can hardly wait!  But more than the financial support I have been blessed by people's beautiful notes of encouragement and devotionals as God is preparing me.  I am so humbled and truly thankful for the beautiful people God has surrounded me with and their encouragements.

Furthermore, God continues to blow my mind with opportunities including being accepted to a Doctor of Psychology program at an incredible Christian school that focuses on social justice issues and providing mental health care to individuals who would otherwise not have access to such care.  When I read about this program and then visited this past fall I honestly felt that I could not have dreamt of a more perfect program- learning to heal and serve people according to God's truths.  Though the thought of moving to Seattle is difficult I am confident that God will provide for my every need including the needs that will arise from being so far away from my family.

In addition to God's outpouring of blessing lately God has been confronting me with the tremendous responsibility He has called us to; to love Him with every aspect of our being, to love others, to make disciples and to obey his calling.  Feeling the weight of the responsibility God has called us to, I pray that we would learn to love Him more every day so that we may love others better, that we would be baptized in the Holy Spirit so that we would be sensitive to God's leading and that we would obey Him.

Thank you for following and for being such a blessing in my life!

Preparing for Uganda

All glory to God!  It's official, I'm heading to Uganda for June and July of 2011! I am truly humbled by God's unending love for us and that my desire to serve in Uganda is part of His plan for my life.

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:4

Despite my overwhelming joy that God is fulfilling my dream for His glory, over the last several months I have been experiencing fear and doubt.  I kept wondering how I would be able to cope with interacting with people who have experienced such horrific things. Also, I kept doubting that I would be spiritually, academically or personally prepared. 

Due to God's blessings and people's generosity I had the opportunity to go to a conference in Atlanta, Georgia for college-aged Christians called Passion.  Some of the most incredible Biblical teachers were there including Beth Moore, Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Louie Giglio, and John Piper.  As I prepared for the trip I was hoping that God would speak to my heart to calm my fears as well as lay a strong foundation to build upon in spiritually preparing me for everything that is ahead.  God is so good and did so much more than I could have ever expected!

Beth Moore taught about renewing our hearts and minds, delighting in the Lord and pursuing Him whole-heartedly.  God spoke through Beth in such a powerful way it was truly amazing. At one point Beth was talking about Luke 10:17-21 after Jesus sent out the 72 and they returned with incredible joy because Jesus had empowered them to cast out demons and perform other miracles and Jesus shared in their joy, not because they had performed miracles but because their names were written in heaven.  From this passage Beth taught that when we push past our fears to obey God's calling and delight in the Lord, Jesus shares in our joy. God used this session to comfort and teach me that even though I'm afraid, when I delight in the Lord and obey His calling for my life, He and I will share in mutual, indescribable joy. WOW!

One of the other sessions that God used to convict and humble me was Francis Chan's session about making disciples.  After Jesus had risen from the grave he gave the great commission, saying "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" Matthew 28:18-20.  Christ didn't call only pastors or missionaries or bible scholars to make disciples and share his teachings; He called us all.  I was so convicted and humbled by this teaching because even though I have known the great commission for most of my life, I rarely live it out.

The other teachings were incredible as well.  It's hard to describe a movement of over 20,000 of my peers committing to sharing Christ's name wherever we go. "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts" Isaiah 26:8.

And so, all I can say is how great is our God!

Thanks for joining with me in this journey!

My friends and I at Passion